My "gear" is off every a.m. for a week-suggestions?

[npap]

Hi, I am new to the forum and new to cpap since early August- (got the Resmed Swift LT with small nasal pillows, RemStar M series Cpap, heated humidifer) Although it took me a long time to get to sleep and get the pillows adjusted so that I didn't have leaks, etc., within a few days I no longer had this problem. I can put on my nasal gear and almost immediately have it just right. I was very happy be able to tell the respiratory therapist how quickly I adjusted to sleeping with the cpap but now am having problems. Now I am finding that every morning I wake up with the headgear off my head and the machine running. Evidentally, I am pulling the whole thing off while sleeping. It seems to be fairly comfortable so I'm not sure what the problem is. I was on the chatline and it was suggested to me that I get a cpap that has a smart card, and other comfort options.

Has anyone else had this problem with the Swift or other headgear devices? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, Nancy

[yorkiemum01]

OH yeah.......I can certainly relate to this. In the early adaptation of my therapy,
I would wake to find my cpap mask flung across the room even, machine whirling and whistling.
Hang in there, persistance is key, as you're brain is still learning how to accept this therapy,
and I found with time and patience, you will begin to find less subconscious rejection of
the cpap, and this forum is a great place to start. The folks here are very informative, and
so supportive....some days I wonder how I managed without them.
Welcome to the forum!

[Unrested1]

When I had my first sleep study the RT told me that I would probably wake up with the mask off, and the machine running. Said it was perfectly normal for people trying to get used to the cpap machine.

[Wulfman]

Nancy,

Your experience of taking your mask off during the night without being aware of it is pretty "normal". What you have to do is try to catch yourself doing it or keep telling yourself not to do it. It usually doesn't last very long (depending on the person), but you might think about putting something on your hands......like some tube socks or something that will inhibit your dexterity.

Den

[RafterRattler]

Nancy,
The other thing to try is the mask alarm that we discussed in the chatroom the other night. Were you able to figure out how to turn it on? Since you are not turning off the machine in your sleep, the mask alarm should wake you if you remove your gear.

It didn't really work for me - because I was turning the machine off in my sleep too. Talk about OCD . It took me about a week to start keeping it on all night.

Hang in there, it will get better!
Mike

[marshaeb]

http://www.amazon.com/Title-Boxing-INFL ... 12&sr=8-16

[Snoredog]

That machine has a really annoying feature called "Auto:Off" if enabled and you develop a large leak the friggin machine will
shut off. That feature was designed by an idiot, do disable it:

1. Hold down both the left and right (<-) (->) buttons while simultaneously plugging the power supply into the back of the device. Once the device beeps twice, it is in the setup mode and you can release the buttons.

Navigation:
-Press the plus (+) key to enter setup OR left and right (<-) (->) buttons to enter Data Menu.
-Use the left and right (<-) (->) buttons to navigate to the next/previous screen.
-Use the (+) and (-) buttons to adjust settings or change values.
-When you have finished modifying the settings, press the On/Off button to exit setup mode and return to User mode.

Additional Settings Info/Descriptions:
Mask Alert: This alert will indicate when the device has detected a mask leak. You can enable or disable the alert (default=disabled).
Split Night Time: This setting indicates the amount of time spent in CPAP therapy before transitioning to Auto-CPAP therapy (default=Off, 120, 180, or 240 minutes).
Show AHI/Leak: You can select weather or not the Apnea/Hypopnea Index and System Leak averages display on the LCD data screens (default=disabled, enable this).
Patient Reminder: Using the EncorePro software, you can set a customized text message that will periodically display to the User. The Reminder screen lets you specifiy how often the reminder will appear (every 90 days, 180 days, etc.).

Settings:
Therapy Mode=AUTO (CPAP or AUTO)
Comfort Type=A-Flex (C-Flex or A-Flex)
Auto:Max=20 (default=20, Only appears in AUTO mode)
Auto:Min=6.5 (default=4, Only appears in AUTO mode, set to 6.5 or higher)
Flex Setting=2 (default=1, Off, 1, 2, or 3)
Ramp Time=30 (default=0:05-45 minutes)
Ramp Start Pressure=6.5 (default=4 to Auto:Min, only appears if Auto:Min >4 cm)
Mask Alert Feature=Off (default=off)
Auto Off Feature=Off (default=off, should be off doesn't work that well)
Show AHI/Leak Feature=ON (default=On, you want this on to get LCD data)
Patient Reminder=Off (Off, 90, 180, 270,365 days)

To view data:
1. Hold down both the left and right (<-) (->) buttons while simultaneously plugging the power supply into the back of the device. Once the device beeps twice, it is in the setup mode and you can release the buttons.

2. Press the left and right (<-) (->) buttons to navigate to the Therapy Usage screen to observe data, should give you AHI information for 7 and 30 days averages, should also display number of days used >4hrs per night, 90% pressure, leak etc.

To REST LCD Data to zero, while at the Therapy Usage screen hold down the minus (-) button for 5 seconds.

[wlo2008]

Some things others have tried as well as my slef. Putting bobby pins attached to your hair and mask. When you are taking it off in the night it will give a pull on your hair and wake you up. Also I do have my alarm on my machine on as well so that it will go off when I take my mask off. Not all machines have this alarm. Also double sided tape were it goes around your face will give a tug as well to wake you up.

[dgsupersleepy]

As a dude, bobby pins aren't at the top of my list in trying (not that it is bad advice, but my hair is a wee to short). However, having the same problem for a little over a week, I just stopped doing it after that period. I tried to make sure I thought of it going to bed, but I just tried to not obsess over it and eventually stopped. Hope that helps.

[Snoredog]

As a dude, bobby pins aren't at the top of my list in trying (not that it is bad advice, but my hair is a wee to short). However, having the same problem for a little over a week, I just stopped doing it after that period. I tried to make sure I thought of it going to bed, but I just tried to not obsess over it and eventually stopped. Hope that helps.

so have you tried double-sided tape?